A wish list becomes the plea of a generation, when a teenage boy asks his mother what she wants for Christmas, and she answers in the most unusual way: “I wish for you to get your youth back” – along with all the ups and downs of growing up. She wishes for everything her son so deeply missed, during two years of the pandemic and hard restrictions in Germany.

In the film an intimate chamber play turns into a roller coaster ride of emotions at the very scene of the pandemic: a family’s home. We relive what could have been from parties, to falling in love and travelling. The mother's monologue, the seamless tracking shot and the reinterpretation of Bon Jovi's "It's my life" take us from youthful highs to the deep pain of first heartbreak. In four minutes, the film tells an entire coming of age drama.

In Germany, the youth were among those who suffered most from the pandemic’s restrictions: with homeschooling, contact restrictions and long periods under lockdown, teenage life was basically cancelled. Their needs were overlooked and the impact on a whole generation’s mental health was underestimated. Their missed experiences, which would shape their lives forever, were never addressed in public.

Son: So, what do you actually want for Christmas?

Mother:

I wish you wouldn’t hang out at home all the time.

That you’d sneak out at night.

And we wouldn’t know where you were.

I wish your dad would have to pick you up, because you drank way too much.

I wish you’d let your schoolwork slip, because everything else seems more important …

… and that you wouldn’t give a damn about what I think.

I wish you’d secretly throw a party and that you’d finally tell that girl you love her.

And that she’d break your heart.

And you’d just go.

I wish for you to get your youth back.